England snaffling victory: The home team produced a victory out of nowhere to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
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During the first T20I of the ongoing Australia’s tour of England in Southampton, England registered a 2-run victory in a match which they seemed to be losing for most part of the second losing.
Chasing a 163-run target, Australia were off to a potentially match-winning 98-run opening partnership as David Warner (58) and captain Aaron Finch (46) continued to tease the opposition bowling attack in white-ball cricket.
When Finch was dismissed in the 11th over, Australia required 65 runs in nine overs with nine wickets in hand – something which they would have easily achieved on most other days.
However, what followed today was a few ordinary shots and a rusty batting display by their middle-order. Barring the opening batsmen, it was evident that the visiting batsmen are short on competitive cricket in the last six months or so.
From needing 36 runs to win in the last five overs, the situation eventually boiled down to all-rounder Marcus Stoinis needing to score 15 runs in the last over against Tom Curran which he struggled to do so as Australia could manage 160-6 in 20 overs.
With bowling figures of 4-0-29-2, England spinner Adil Rashid was the pick of their bowlers. Other than Rashid, the fast bowling-duo of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood picked two and one wicket each.
Earlier, it was Finch who won the toss and invited the home team to bat first. It was on the back of Dawid Malan’s seventh T20I half-century that England scored a competitive 162/2 in their allotted quota of 20 overs.
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